Clock with rotary operating members



April 10, 1928.

1,665,476 w. E. PORTER V CLOCK WITH ROTARY OPERATING MEMBERS Filed June 20, 19:25 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I w. E. PORTER CLOCK WITH ROTARY OPERATING MEMBERS April 10, 1928.

Filed June 20, 1925 2 Shasta-She 2 IIIIIA- Will/Ill \lllll li IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII flq/II/IIM /l/l/l/l/l/l/II/ll/l/t vmnnnllllulllmllllllllllllllllllllllll Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW HAVEN V CLOCK 00., OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

CLOCK WITH ROTARY OPERATING MEMBERS.

Application filed June 20, 1925. Serial No. 38,423.

Fi 1 is a lan view of one form which 1 my improved clock may assume.

Fig. 2 1s a view thereof in front elevation,

' with part of the primary dial broken away.

Fig. 3 is a view thereof in rear elevation, showing the supplemental dial.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4-4of Fig. 2.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of clocks provided with supplemental dials or operating members, used for timing other mechanisms, such as mechanisms for turning on and off fuel, light, and so forth, at predetermined times, the object being to provide a simple, convenient and reliable mechanism constructed with particular reference to fewness of running parts, to reduction of backlash to the minimum, to the permanent synchronization of the supplemental dial or operating-member with the hour and minute hands of the clock, and to capacity for rotating the supplemental dial or operating-member at a dilferent ratio from the pointers of the primary dial, without disturbing the time-train.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a clock having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, the second arbor 5 of the time-train, which may be of any approved construction, and is, therefore, not shown in detail, is projected at its rear end through the rear movement-plates 6 and 7, and has fastened to it a pinion 8 meshing into a wheel 9 carried by a sleeve 10 turning upon a stud 11 mounted in the rear movement-plate 6, the rear end of the said sleeve carrying a concavo-convex,

supplemental dial 1.2 rigidly secured to it and constituting a synchronized rotary operating-member. The wheel 9, sleeve 10 and supplemental dial 12 form a unit which is retained in place upon the stud 11, with freedom to rotate with respect thereto, by a retaining-screw 13 entering the rear end of the said stud. The convex outer face of the supplemental dial is provided with gradnations, while its edge is toothed, as at 14, as customary in clocks of this type.

As thus constructed, the supplemental dial 12 is connected with the projecting rear end of the second arbor 5 for direct operation thereby, with the minimum of interposed running parts.

The forward end of the second arbor 5 projects through the front movement plates 15 and 16 and is provided at its projecting forward end with a rigidly-attached pinion 17 meshing into an hour-wheel 18 having a forwardly-projecting sleeve 19 carrying the hour-hand 20, which sweeps over the primary dial 21, which has the customary gradnations and figures. The arbor 5 also carries a wheel 22 meshing into a cannon pinion 23, the forwardly-projecting sleeve 24 of which carries the minute-hand 25 of the primary dial. The said cannon pinion 23 and its sleeve 24 turn loosely on a centrally-arranged arbor 26 corresponding in location to the center arbor of an ordinary clock.

Under the construction described, the dialwork of the primary dial is directly connected with the forward end of the second arbor 5, which thus virtually directly couples the hands of the primary dial and the bodily rotating supplemental dial or equivalent operating member, so that their operation will be at all times synchronous and with the minimum of backlash.

The second arbor 5 and therefore the dialtrain is frictionally coupled with and driven by the main wheel 27 of the clock by means of the first pinion 28 frictionally coupled with the reduced forward end 29 of the said arbor. The first wheel or escapeinent-train drive-wheel 30 staked upon the forward end of the said pinion 28 has its forward face engaged by a spring-washer 31 mounted upon a collar 32 driven over the reduced portion 29 of the second arbor 5, the said spring washer 31 exerting a constant effort to force the first pinion 28 against the shoulder 33 of the arbor, and hence to yieldingly couple the said pinion 28 and first wheel 30 thereto. The main wheel 27 is driven by a mainspring 34 on a main-spring arbor 35 journaled in the plates 7 and 16, the spring be ing enclosed in a barrel 36. The said wheel 30 meshes into a pinion 37 carrying a wheel 38 of the escapement-train. The movement plates are connected by pillars 39.

By connecting the dial-train and the operating-train of the primary and supplemental dials directly with the respective ends of the second arbor, which extends from front to rear of the clock, the said dial-train and operating-train are made to operate synchronously with the minimum of backlash and hence with a high degree of accuracy of performance. Moreover, the number of running parts is reduced under my invention to the minimum. Should it be desired to drive the supplemental dial at a different ratio from the hour and minute hands of the primary dial, that may be very easily done by appropriately changing the relative dianr eters of the pinion 8 and Wheel 9 Without in any Way disturbing the clock as an organization. Under my improvement, the power of the main-spring is utilized more directly than in prior cloclrs oi the same type.

I claim:

A clock, having a main-spring, a main- Wheel driven thereby, a second arbor, a first pinion, a first Wheel secured thereto and retating therewith upon the said second arbor, friction means for yieldin ly coupling the said first pinion and first Wheel with the said second arbor, a center pinion driven by the said first Wheel, a stationary dial, hour and minute hands therefor, a dial-train for driving the said hour and minute hands and including a minute-hand drive-wheel and an hour-hand drive-Wheel rigidly mounted on the forward end of the said second arbor, a rotary operating-member located at the rear of the clock, and a train connecting the rear end of the said second arbor with the said operating-meinber, whereby the hour and minute hands of the stationary dial and the said operating-member are driven synchronously by the said second arbor.

in testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

WILSON E. PORTER. 

